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Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”

But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in the lower tiers

His football journey has not been a conventional one.

He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.

Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.

“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.

“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”